In Need of a Sire
by Philip S
Summary: 3rd in Angelic Face Series: Spike needs Drusilla's Sire to restore the ailing vampiress to health. He doesn't know that Angelus goes by the name of Angela these days and is aiding the Slayer against him. Not yet, that is.
1. Chapter 1

In Need of a Sire (3rd in Angelic Face Series)

In Need of a Sire (3rd in Angelic Face Series)

By Philip S. ()

Summary: In order to pay for his crimes against their clan, the Gypsies have cursed Angelus with a soul and transformed him into a woman. A hundred years later the Vampire now called Angela is recruited by Whistler to help protect the newly called Slayer. A friendship grows between the two, even after Buffy finds out that Angela is a Vampire. What she does not know is that, inside, Angela is still a man. A man who has very strong feelings for her. Meanwhile Spike and Dru have come to town. In order to cure Dru, Spike needs her Sire, Angelus. At the same time he needs to get rid of the Slayer and the strange Vampire helping her, not knowing that said Vampire is the one he is looking for.

Spoilers: General spoilers for Buffy Season 2, but basically its AU

Rating: PG-13 to begin with. Might get worse later

Disclaimer: All characters taken from the shows Buffy and Angel are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and others. No infringement is intended.

--

Part 1

--

Angela was waiting for Buffy in her room when she got back from patrol. The dark-haired Vampire sat on her bed, cross-legged, and watched with a sort of detached amusement as Buffy struggled in through her window.

"Rough patrol?" Angela asked when the Slayer finally got in and collapsed into the nearest chair.

"Not really. I'm just tired."

"Maybe you're driving yourself a little too hard."

Buffy shook her head. While it was certainly true that she was doing too much and sleeping too little as of late, there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it. She couldn't cut school more than she did, not with Snyder watching her like a hawk. She couldn't cut patrol or training with Giles, seeing as people might die if the Slayer wasn't a hundred percent. And as used as her mother was to Buffy not being around much, she still had to put in the occasional mom-time.

Buffy sighed. These days she felt like she was doing at least two full-time jobs and trying to have a life on the side.

"Think you could lend me some hours each day?" She asked Angela. "I mean, with you being immortal and such you could spare some."

"I'd offer you a few of those hours I'm confined to my apartment because of the sunlight." Angela answered in the voice that always made Buffy confused as to whether she was joking or being earnest.

"What do you do all day anyway?" Buffy asked.

"Sleeping mostly." Right, Buffy nodded. There was that, of course. Embarrassed, she changed the subject.

"Right now I'm just hoping to get through the week." Buffy said while storing her Slaying gear in the trunk beneath her bed. "Career week. Another of Snyder's glorious ideas. One multiple choice test will determine my future. As if."

It wasn't the MC test Buffy was worried about and Angela heard that, it seemed.

"You do have a future, Buffy." She said softly.

"Yeah. Unless I die tomorrow because some Vampire gets lucky."

Angela got off the bed and put a hand on Buffy's shoulder.

"You could die tomorrow. Or next week. Or maybe in sixty years. Just because you might die tomorrow is no reason not to make plans for the future."

The dark-haired Vampire sighed. "I spent nearly a hundred years just existing from day to day, most of the time hoping that something or someone would come along to kill me before I would have to sleep and dream again. Only it never happened and I wasted a century that way. Don't make the same mistake!"

For a moment Buffy saw a shimmer of Angela's true age behind that youthful façade she wore. Angela appeared to be a woman in her late twenties to early thirties, but she was 250 and change. Right now it shone through.

"Okay, I guess I'm a bit in a blue mood right now." Buffy admitted. "Though I have to wonder what kind of career I could ever have, seeing that I already have a rather time-intensive job I can't just quit."

Angela shrugged.

"You're asking the wrong person about an honest day's job."

That brought a smile to Buffy's lips.

"I guess so. Okay, let's change topics. Any news on the boogedy boo in town?"

Angela shook her head. "Spike seems to be keeping a low profile right now. If the rumors about Drusilla being ill are true I imagine he will focus entirely on making her well again."

"He loves her, uh? I didn't think soulless demons could love."

Angela nodded. "Normally they can't. Spike, though, he's always been the odd one in the family. Or maybe it's not love, but simple obsession."

She didn't add that she herself had once been obsessed with Drusilla and Buffy didn't really want to think about her dark friend's checkered past. Angela wasn't the same person she'd been back then and that was it as far as Buffy was concerned.

"We'll deal with Spike when he rears his bleached head!" Buffy resolved. "And if Drusilla comes along, I'll deal with her." She left it unsaid that Angela wouldn't have to then.

--

"Not a trace!" Spike murmured, giving the minion in front of him an icy stare. The younger Vampire shifted from one foot to the other. Being the bearer of bad news was never a good thing as far as he was concerned.

It had been a month now. A month of making use of every contact he had, a month of calling in every favor ever owed to him. A month of scouring the world for a Vampire whom no one had seen in a century.

Angelus! Drusilla's Sire. The one they needed to make her well again. He had been missing for a hundred years now and there was a very good chance that he was dust by now. Spike refused to believe that, though, at least until he found someone who saw it happen. Because if Angelus was dead, then so was Dru.

It was almost funny, Spike mused. For pretty much all of the last century he had hoped that Angelus was gone for good. Had he met his killer, Spike would have thrown a party for him. Now, though, when he needed the bastard for once, he wasn't around.

"Fabulous!" He muttered, dismissing the relieved minion with a wave.

"You are black with worry!" Drusilla sang from where she entered the room. "So many dark clouds, my Spike."

"I'm worried for you, Ducks! If we don't find Angelus ... we have to find him."

Drusilla smiled and her eyes seemed to focus on something only she could see.

"My Angelus!" She mused. "Find him you will. Closer than you think."

Spike rose from his seat.

"Did you see something, luv? Do you know where he is?"

Dru giggled like a little child. "No, I don't know where HE is!" She giggled again, almost toppling over from her laughter.

Spike shook his head. He loved Drusilla, but sometimes she could really get him confused.

--

Part 2

--

"I mean ... law enforcement?" Buffy threw her hands in the air. "I never thought much about getting a job but ... law enforcement?"

"What is so bad about law enforcement?" Angela asked as they strolled through the cemetery. "It's really what you are doing already. Though in a more formal way."

"Right!" Buffy said. "Because jobbing at the Sunnydale PD involves so many staking patrols. You think I should start reading a Vampire his rights before I stake him? You have the right to crumble into dust. If you don't it will only hurt that much more in the morning when the sun rises and fries your ass."

Angela managed half a smile at Buffy's ramblings. She was a walking contradiction. The fiercest fighter Angela, or Angelus, had ever met, yet at the same time on the verge of bursting into tears when she broke a nail while staking a Vampire. Patrolling every night to the point of exhaustion, yet doing it dressed only in the latest fashions.

Making jokes about dusting Vampires in front of a Vampire. Angela didn't much mind, of course, but still, it was of little wonder that Buffy was not considered material for politician or diplomat.

"And Giles had the nerve, the nerve, to tell me the same when we went looking into that crypt, you know? I didn't even tell him about it, he just came up with it on his own. I mean ..."

"What crypt?"

"Huh? Oh, Giles noticed that someone had stolen a book from his stacks and apparently this crypt contained some kind of cross to decipher it. Cross of DuLac or something."

Angela remembered reading about DuLac somewhere, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She pushed it from her mind. If Giles was on it, there was little doubt he would soon find out everything and inform them.

"I think you need to do something to relax, Buffy." Angela said. "You are incredibly tense. Whatever evil might turn up next, you'll be worse off facing it like this."

Buffy shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe you're right. But I'm afraid I pretty much abandoned all my relaxing hobbies when I became the Slayer. Never enough time for them."

"What did you do for fun before you became the Slayer?" Angela asked.

Buffy gave her a look. "Don't think I don't notice that we're talking about me again. Always about me. Wasn't the plan for you to talk more about yourself?"

"Your plan!" Angela reminded her, emphasis on the 'your'.

"So, on the topic of the things we do for fun ...?" Buffy prodded, causing Angela to sigh.

"When I was human we ... I mean, the men went out hunting deer and the likes for relaxation. The women were doing ... sewing work and the likes." I think, she added in her mind. Truth to tell Liam had never been very concerned with what women did in their spare time. He had been much more interested in filling his own spare time with as many of them as possible.

Buffy gave her a smirk that made Angela uneasy. Mostly because of the feelings it stirred up inside her. Liam's feelings.

"I just tried to picture you sewing. Doesn't work. I bet you sneaked along on those deer hunts, right? Or did other funny stuff that women weren't supposed to do."

"I ... I didn't do a whole lot of womanly things while I was alive." Angela said, which was the truth. There was no need for Buffy to know that this was because of her not having been a woman then.

"Coming back to the topic," Angela continued, "what did you do for fun before you became the Slayer?"

"All right, I'll let you change the topic. This time." Buffy smiled again. "I ... well, for a long time I had a real thing for ice skating."

"Ice skating?" Angela asked.

"What?" Buffy asked, putting her hands on her hips in a challenging stance. "I'll have you know I was very good, too. Was even thinking of applying for an amateur championship or something."

"Okay, I believe you!" Angela said, raising her hands in surrender. "You still have your skates?"

"I think. Why?"

"Well, there is the ice stadium just outside the city. Always closed on Tuesdays, if I remember right."

Buffy smiled at her. A happy smile that made Angela's dead heart sing. She loved seeing Buffy that way.

"Tomorrow is Tuesday."

Angela nodded and there was a new, happy spring in Buffy's steps as they continued their patrol.

"Okay. Now I just have to hope that Giles doesn't practice his usual sucky timing and schedules me for world saveage or something tomorrow."

--

Spike shook his head. Drusilla was now getting weaker by the day. He could almost see the specter of death, true death, hovering over her head. The same Reaper that he had defied so very often by going after the world's most dangerous prey now threatened to take the one thing in Spike's existence that made him feel something else than anger and bloodlust.

Dru was dying and the one person who could save her was not to be found.

He had entertained brief hopes that, if the Sire could not be found, maybe the Sire of the Sire would work as well. Only to learn that Darla had been killed but a few months ago. Killed by the Slayer and her pet Vampire. Just like the Master, Darla's Sire.

He had never much liked Darla. Had downright despised her, truth to tell. And the Master was just another Vampire to him, he had never met the guy. Anyone who was stupid enough to get himself imprisoned inside a Hellmouth deserved it, Spike guessed.

Yet to hear that this dark-haired turncoat had killed, or at least helped kill, members of her own bloodline to help the Slayer, thereby destroying what slim hopes he still had for Dru ...

It was the last straw. Something had to be done. About both the Slayer and her fanged pet. As much as Spike would like to take care of them himself, he didn't have time for this. Dru required every bit of his attention. Adding one more notch on his Slayer hit list wasn't half as important. He needed to remove the distractions that these two posed and fast.

Then he had an idea.

"Send out a message!" He told one of his minions. "Tell the Order of Taraka that there is a bounty on the heads of the Slayer and the Vampire that aids her!"

--

Part 3

--

Angela sighed. She should have known this was a mistake.

Watching Buffy skate across the ice, gliding over the shimmering surface like a creature out of myth, it was almost more than she could bare. Buffy was so serenely beautiful it tore Angela's dead heart in two. Knowing that this beauty, this wonderful girl, could never be for him ... her ... whatever.

A mistake, yes. Yet somehow she was never able to keep herself from making these mistakes when it came to Buffy. Why was this happening to her?

The plan had been to make Buffy relax. Things had been so tense for the young Slayer as of late. Spike, her mother, school, training, Angela had seen how Buffy had been worn away by her many matters. So much responsibility heaped upon the shoulders of one so young. She needed this chance to just shut out the world and enjoy herself for once.

It was working, too. Angela could see the happy, relaxed smile on Buffy's face as she glided across the ice, all thoughts of Slaying, school, and training far from her mind for the moment. Angela, though, was feeling anything but relaxed. Seeing that smile on Buffy's face ... she needed something to distract herself or surely she would go mad.

Busily checking the empty stadium around her for ... well, anything, she tried to get her thoughts back under control. She was here on a mission. Her job was to protect the Slayer. That Slayer had somehow gotten it into her head that the two of them should be friends and Angela had been helpless to stop it. That was all, though. There wasn't, couldn't, and mustn't be anything more between them.

'Why not?' A voice inside her seemed to whisper.

A movement caught Angela's eyes, distracting her from her own thoughts. Was there someone moving through the rafters of the stadium? She was sure she had seen ...

A small outcry by Buffy made Angela's gaze return to the Slayer, just in time to see her lose her balance and land with her behind on the cold ice. Angela couldn't help a smile at Buffy's pouting expression as she tried to struggle back to her feet.

The smile disappeared when a huge figure suddenly rose up behind Buffy, one giant arm wrapping around the girl's throat and pulling her to her feet and across the barricade. Angela started running immediately, taking a shortcut across the ice. Superior reflexes allowed her to keep her balance as she closed in on the battle.

The huge man had Buffy draped over a table and was choking the life right out of here, Angela could see Buffy's eyes roll back. Finally closing the distance she threw herself into the much larger man with a growl, managing to dislodge his hands as they both tumbled across the floor.

"Get away from her!" Angela screamed, vamping out in anger, and threw two punches at her opponent. Only to see that they seemed to do no damage at all.

His return blow did. Stars exploded before Angela's eyes as she was thrown backwards, crashing into another table. Before she could even think of struggling back to her feet her opponent was there, dragging her upwards, throwing her into the nearest wall.

Angela, her vision blurry, wasted no thoughts on fair fighting and kicked him between the legs with all the force she could muster. The man inside her winced as her opponent let go of her, folding in upon himself. She knew only too well how much that had to hurt. Catching her breath, metaphorically speaking, she kicked him again, hoping to get him down for good.

He didn't go down. Straightening up much faster than she would have believed possible he blocked her next kick and backhanded her with enough force to throw her back into the wall, her head making hard contact with the cement. She managed to bring her legs up when he advanced again, shoving him away from her.

Right toward Buffy, who spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick at the attacker's throat. The ice skate she still had on her feet sliced clean through his neck, almost taking the head off. The big man made a few stumbling steps out on the ice, clutching his throat, then collapsed.

"Gross!" Buffy complained, rubbing her throat.

"You okay?" Angela asked, pushing away from the wall.

"Fine. Might have some bruises tomorrow. What about you? This getting beaten up in order to save me is getting to be a habit."

Angela could hear the concern underlying her quip tone. The thought that anyone could actually care for something like her was still so new, so strange, that she didn't know how to handle it.

Instead she concentrated on their attacker. He was not a Vampire, that much she was sure of, nor any other kind of demon she was familiar with. Then she saw the ring he wore on his hand and her blood ran cold.

"You're bleeding!" Buffy said suddenly, all humor fading from her voice.

Only now did Angela notice that blood was flowing down her face. Her fingers found a cut on her forehead, probably from that vicious backhand blow. She also became aware that she was still in full Vampire face.

"It's nothing." She said, turning away. "It will be all healed up by morning. We have more important things to worry about."

"Just let me check!" Buffy insisted, taking off her gloves. "I want to make sure it's nothing serious."

She reached out with her hands, but Angela flinched away. Buffy realized that it wasn't because of the wound.

"Look at me!" Buffy demanded.

Angela tried to return her face to its human features, but the heat of battle still flowed through her veins, the demon still too excited to go back to sleep. Buffy's fingers touched her face and Angela found she didn't have the strength to prevent the girl from turning her face back toward her.

"I don't want ... don't want you to see me this way!" Angela managed.

"You're my friend, Angela!" Buffy reminded her as she checked the cut above Angela's eye. "I don't care what your face looks like."

Feeling her fingers trail along the ridges on her forehead, the heat of her skin so close, Angela had to fight to keep absolutely still. So close, she could clearly smell Buffy's scent, could hear the thundering of the pulse right beneath that silken skin. Instincts inside her cried out, told her to feed, to fuck, to take what she wanted.

Never! She vowed. Not Buffy!

Buffy checked the wound and found that it was harmless, was hardly bleeding anymore even. She also noticed the way Angela held herself. Rigid, still, yet with an underlying tension that screamed of an inner battle. Buffy had gotten quite good at reading her friend's body language and she knew that something was deeply troubling the dark-haired Vampire.

Was it the face? Was she really so ashamed of her own nature that she couldn't bare to have Buffy touch her demon face?

Or was it something else maybe?

Neither Vampire nor Slayer noticed the person watching them from up in the rafters.

--

Part 4

--

The Order of Taraka.

Angela had paled the moment she had seen the ring Buffy's mysterious attacker had worn, which was quite a trick for a 250 year old Vampire. She had refused to say anything, wanting Giles to take a look at it first, just to be sure.

Buffy's Watcher had paled as well.

The Order of Taraka. A group of bounty hunters. Humans and demons both, not one of them like the other. Each worked alone, each in their different way. Their only interest was in the collection of the bounty. The bounty that, apparently, had been put on Buffy's head.

Someone wanted her dead and was willing to dish out lots of money to see it done. Buffy and Angela had defeated the first of the bounty hunters, but Giles said they would just keep coming. There were a lot of them, no telling who they were, and they would continue to try and kill her as long as the money was out there.

Buffy didn't think she'd ever been so scared before.

Vampires trying to kill her because she was the Slayer, that was nothing new. She was almost used to that by now. But with these bounty hunters it was something else. It was in no way personal for them, just a job they had to do. Buffy imagined one of them, making small check marks on his daily to-do list.

Collect laundry from dry cleaner. Check.

Grocery shopping. Check.

Kill Buffy Summers.

Somehow this impersonal thing made it a lot worse. It shouldn't, really. Shouldn't someone wanting to kill her because he hated her be the worse thing?

Giles had told Buffy to go home. To be more precise he had told her to find a safe place and stay there. Yet how could her home be a safe place? She wasn't sure if they knew her full name or address, but certainly that wasn't so hard to find out. This was, after all, a pretty small town.

Thanking God that her mother was away in Los Angeles Buffy turned away from her house, trying to think of a place where she could stay for the night.

Hide. Why didn't she say it? She was looking for a place to hide. She, the big heap Vampire Slayer, was looking for a bed to crawl under until the bad men went away. A flush of humiliation crept up her cheeks. She shouldn't feel this vulnerable. She was the Slayer. She was strong. It changed nothing, though.

Giles, Jenny, Angela, they would try and find out who had offered up the money. Odds were it was Spike, but they had to be certain. The bounty hunters would only stop coming if the money went away. That was the one good thing about this. They wanted her dead for a very simple reason and once that reason no longer existed, they would go away.

Somehow that didn't make it any better.

Buffy thought about Willow or Xander's home, but how could she endanger her friends? If someone really wanted to find out, then the identity of her two best friends wouldn't stay secret for long. No, she couldn't do that. Same with Giles.

It came down to one person. Again. A part of Buffy felt incredibly guilty for wanting to burden Angela. Hadn't the dark-haired Vampire suffered enough on her behalf already? Buffy had lost count of the number of times Angela had gotten hurt in saving her life. The Three, Darla, Spike on Halloween, the first Taraka bounty hunter, the list went on and on.

Still, she was the only one. And Buffy was too scared and tired to do the noble thing.

Some time later she arrived in front of Angela's apartment door and knocked softly, trying to find the right words to say. Come to think of it, she probably wouldn't need any. Angela knew what the Order of Taraka was. And she knew Buffy pretty well by now, though the opposite wasn't really true. When she saw her standing outside her door, Angela would probably know all she needed to know.

No one opened the door. Buffy shook her head, berating herself. It was still night. Someone who was forcibly confined to the inside during the whole day would probably spend every second of night outside. Buffy swore under her breath.

Following an impulse she tried the doorknob and found it yielding. The door swung open on well-oiled hinges and offered Buffy the first real look of Angela's apartment. The few times she had been here before it had only been to get Angela for their latest patrol or some of the social stuff the Slayer forcibly subjected the Vampire to.

Slowly Buffy walked inside, her respect for her mysterious friend's privacy warring with her curiosity and the burning need to just get inside, away from whatever prying eyes might be watching her in the night.

Not much in the way of windows. That was one of Buffy's first thoughts, though it shouldn't have been much of a surprise. First off this was a cellar apartment. The few windows that did exist were set high up the walls and heavily shuttered. Vampires weren't big on daylight after all.

No mirrors, either. Again, should have been obvious. What use where they to someone who would never see herself in them? Buffy wondered what it was like not to have a reflection. Angela never wore makeup or the likes. Was that because of the simple enviable fact that she really didn't need it or just because it was too much of a bother to put on without a reflection?

Thought upon thought assaulted Buffy's mind as she looked around her friend's apartment, thoughts of what her life had to be like. She didn't open the refrigerator in the kitchen, guessing that it contained little but bags of pig's blood. The kitchen itself looked new and sparkly. Never been used.

There were but a few scattered personal items, yet they did give the place a sense of identity. Some paintings that looked quite old and valuable. A statue in a viewing case. Almost everything had a sense of age about it, driving home the fact that this place belonged to someone who had lived in three different centuries and was about to enter her fourth one.

The closet stood open and Buffy saw the almost uniformly black wardrobe the Vampire preferred. A few scattered dots of color were in there. The white outfit she had worn on Halloween. The few non-black shirts Angela possessed. Red and white. Buffy wondered how Angela would look in a blue dress or a jeans. Or maybe one of Willow's fluffy pink sweaters.

Seeing the bed tucked away behind a set of curtains in the corner made Buffy remember how bone-tired she was. She hadn't slept much these last few weeks. Lots of patrols and fighting. Now this deep-set anxiety over the Taraka bounty hunters. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep.

Without another thought she dropped down on Angela's bed, not even bothering to take off her boots. The black sheets seemed to surround her, molding themselves to her body like Angela's black coat always seemed to embrace the dark-haired Vampire. Buffy's eyes fell shut and she drifted off to sleep.

Inside the dark apartment of her friend, Buffy felt safe.

--

Part 5

--

"Hello, Willy!"

The short, sleazy man twisted around upon hearing the deceptively feminine voice calling out his name and saw a dark shape enter through the bar door. The woman approaching him did not look at all dangerous to the untrained eye, but Willy's eye was not one of those.

"A-Angela," he stuttered, "fancy meeting you here. What's up?"

The dark-haired woman walked around the room, looking at the empty bar.

"Nice place you have built here, Willy. Lots of customers?"

"You know me," he said, spreading his hands, "I don't play favorites. Anyone who wants a drink and can pay is welcome here. Neutral ground at Willy's, that's the appeal."

Angela gave him a smile that held no warmth and was almost as devastating as a blow to the head.

"Sure, Willy. Neutral, that's you. Double-dealing snitch, you mean."

"Hey, no need to get insulting." She took a step closer. "Though if you really want to ..."

"What I want is information, Willy!" She said, stepping still closer. Willy was a small man and Angela found it almost comforting that there were still people around she could tower over. Being taller gave one an edge, no matter how little it might mean in an actual combat situation.

"In-Information? I have n-none of that, I'm afraid. How about some blood, though? I have nice blood, fresh. Not human, of course, I know you're not into that stuff, but ..."

She stopped his babble by casually grabbing his head and slamming it down on the counter.

"I could use some blood actually." She said, her voice never rising. "Been a long time since I opened up a vein. I'm tempted."

She leaned down, keeping his face pressed to the counter, until she could look into his eyes.

"The Order of Taraka, Willy! Don't tell me you haven't heard of them. I really dislike people who lie to me."

He opened his mouth to utter a protest, but it only caused Angela to press down on his face even harder.

"All right! All right! I ... I heard of them. In town for some big score. Lots of cash out for your little friend's head. Yours, too."

The news that the Order of Taraka was after her as well should have unnerved Angela, but the only one she could think of was Buffy. She had stopped thinking of her own safety and comfort a century ago.

"Who's dishing out the money?" Angela said, slipping into game face as her anger grew. "Is it Spike?"

Willy considered feigning ignorance, but the sight of the Vampire face so close to his own quickly dispelled all notions of dishonesty.

"Yeah, yeah! Spike! He dished out the money. Wants you and the Slayer out of the way in the worst way, if you know what I'm saying."

Angela nodded. Spike had been the logical choice, yet it didn't really fit what she knew of the bleached Vampire. Spike liked to do his own killing, especially when it came to Slayers. She doubted he had gotten scared of Buffy or herself, so there had to be another reason why he had hired the Tarakans.

"Heard anything else?" She asked Willy. "What is Spike up to that he wants us out of the way so bad?"

"No way, Angela! Spike's gonna kill me when he learns I spilled the beans."

Angela smiled wolfishly and leaned closer to whisper into Willy's ear.

"And you think I won't?"

Before Willy could think of an answer to that question Angela suddenly found herself grabbed and flung across the room. She had a brief image of her attacker before she crashed into the wall, stars exploding before her eyes.

Instinct made her duck a kick that could have caved in her head and she rolled across the floor, back to her feet, shaking off the cobwebs. Facing her was a dark-skinned girl, no older than sixteen or seventeen judging by her looks, but with the stance of an experienced fighter.

Also with a strength that clearly told of her inhuman origins. Another Tarakan?

Without any of the witty banter Angela had almost gotten used to after sparring with Buffy so much her opponent attacked again. Angela hung back for the moment, trying to get a reading on her opponent's style. Flawless technique, yet with a stale flavor. None of the sheer energy Buffy radiated during a fight.

Thinking of the Slayer distracted Angela for half a second and it was enough for her opponent to slip a solid blow in under her cover. The kick caught Angela in the chest, sending her flying through a door and into a back room.

She flipped back to her feet and got in a blow of her own, the girl growing overconfident for a moment. The kick would have taken a normal human's head off, yet she seemed barely stunned.

"You're a tough one, aren't you?" Angela teased as they circled each other. "Back off now and I'll let you live!"

Not the most original of threats, she had to admit to herself. No doubt Buffy would have dished out a dozen puns by now, thereby distracting her opponent to the point where she could easily get rid of her. Yet even though Angelus had, of course, been a master of irony and scathing remarks, Angela doubted that she would ever pick up that particular fighting style from the Slayer.

Her opponent still didn't speak, but instead attacked again. A flurry of punches and kicks passed between them, Angela desperately trying to find an opening. The girl fought like someone had taught her to do so from the day she could walk. This would be tough.

The demon in her blood also reminded her that the sun would be up in less than half an hour.

"Let's finish this!" She growled under her breath and finally went to the offensive.

Only to realize that her opponent had been waiting for this. Grabbing her by the hem of her coat, the girl threw Angela over her in a perfect flip, causing Angela to crash into a pile of wooden cases.

"Now that was humiliating!" Angela muttered as booze from dozens of broken bottles trickled down her body. The sharp smell of alcohol almost overwhelmed her sharpened senses. She quickly struggled back to her feet, only to see that her opponent was standing a good distance away, not following up.

"You won't beat me by drowning me in booze!" Angela told the girl, trying to figure out a better angle of attack.

"I won't need to!" The girl spoke for the first time. Angela had a moment to realize that she was standing inside a partitioned part of the store room, a metal cage that held most of Willy's liquor reserves, when the girl slammed the cage door shut on her.

"No!"

Angela threw herself against the cage with all her strength, but it didn't even budge. She had to watch helplessly as the girl added a padlock to the cage door. She struck it again, but without effect once more. This thing didn't look that solid. Had Willy built it with Vampires in mind?

"This won't hold me for long!" Angela hissed at the girl.

"I suggest you hurry then!" She smiled at her. "The sun will be up soon."

Angela looked around and saw that the storeroom had a window. An east-facing window. This wasn't good.

"Meanwhile I will deal with your little blonde friend." The girl informed Angela and departed, leaving the dark-haired Vampire to strike at the cage door in impotent fury.

--

Part 6

--

Spike was fuming.

The first assassin the Order of Taraka had sent to Sunnydale was already dead. He didn't know any details, but he could guess. The Slayer and that fucked-up Vampire that hung with her. Why couldn't they just lay down and die like all the other good guys he had met this last century? The good were supposed to die young.

"Three assassins, coming for you." Dru sang from where she lay on the bed. "Off with one head, leaves but two."

"I know they killed one of them, pet!" He growled at her, irritated.

Dru pouted at his harsh tone and Spike sighed.

"I'm sorry, luv. It's just that I'm getting fed up with all this. The Slayer just won't die and that bloody poof of your Sire is nowhere to be found."

"Hide he does!" Dru giggled. "Hides were you can't see him."

"Do you see him, Dru?" Spike asked, hoping against hope that her mad ramblings would make sense for a change.

She just giggled again, though, her small hands playing with the Tarot cards spread out before her. Three of them showed the Tarakan assassins, that much Spike had figured out. She had turned one card over before he had even been informed of the assassin's death.

One card she had clutched in her hand showed the picture of an angel.

"Spike!"

He looked up to see Lenny, one his minions, walk into the room. The burly Vampire looked out of breath, or maybe just flustered.

"What is it?" Spike asked, annoyed.

"You ... you know how you had us looking for Drusilla's Sire and all, this Angelus fella?"

"No, Lenny! It completely slipped my mind that I have applied every resource I have to finding the bloody poof."

Lenny took a few steps back. Spike wasn't at his most amiable when he started being sarcastic.

"Well, it's just ... one of the boys, he ... he spoke to some of the local demons and one of them told him that, a week or so ago that guy was spying on the Slayer and that, that Vampire that follows her around. He overheard them talking and ..."

"What?" Spike was staring to lose his patience and it showed.

"Well, George says that this Vampire chick, Angela is her name, he said that she told the Slayer that she was the one to sire Drusilla."

Spike just looked at Lenny for a long moment, his face completely neutral.

"She said what?" He asked after a minute, still looking completely calm.

"She said ..."

"The nerve of some people!" Spike thundered, grabbing Lenny and throwing him across the room. "What's that bloody bitch's problem anyway? She runs around with the Slayer, helps kill her own kind. Isn't that enough, I ask you?

"No, she bloody well has to run around and boast of other people's accomplishments. Next she's gonna tell people that she killed that idiot Slayer in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. And maybe it was also her that did in the one in New York, you think?"

He growled and smashed a table that was unlucky enough to stand close to him.

"Angela!" He spat. "The bitch calls herself Angela? Angelus'll be spinning in his dirty grave. If he's dead, that is. Which he isn't! He mustn't!"

Spike tried to calm down, but having little luck doing it. This cuddly Vampire ran around and pretended to be Angelus, did she? Telling people that she sired Dru, taking credit for the only worthwhile thing the bloody poof had ever done in his entire stinking life.

"Oh, I hope the Tarakans rip her limb from limb before they dust her!" He growled. "No, scratch that! I will do it myself. I will rip out every hair on the bitch's head, then I will cut off her bloody breasts and stuff them into her lying mouth, then I'll ..."

Spike suddenly trailed off as his eyes fell on Drusilla, who had been watching his temper tantrum from where she sat on the bed. Her dark eyes were almost glowing and her lips had spread into a wide smile.

He remembered her strange reaction when he had asked her whether she knew where Angelus was. She had laughed and said that, no, she didn't know where HE was. A strange emphasis on the 'he' that Spike had paid little attention to at first, writing it off to Dru's unstable nature.

He also remembered how, a century ago, he and Dru had met with Darla. Remembered how Darla had ordered them to help her tear up a Gypsy camp in Romania. Angelus had disappeared a few days earlier and Darla had muttered some strange stuff about a curse and how Angelus was lost to them.

Gypsies were strong in the dark arts, he knew that. Was it possible ... could it be ...?

He quickly walked across the room to the bed and grabbed Dru by the shoulders, glaring intensely into her eyes.

"Drusilla!" He growled at her. "What do you know about this? This Angela? Is she ...?"

Drusilla smiled serenely.

"Daddy wears all-new clothing now." She whispered, hushing as if to keep a big secret. "They punished him for being so mean to their girlies. Those lovely girlies that he tore apart with his teeth, teeth, teeth!"

She playfully bit at him, but Spike was all out of patience.

"What did they do to him, Dru? Where is Angelus now?"

She threw her head from side to side, her dark hair flying about, some strands striking his face as she moved.

"Made him new, made him new!" She sang. "Gave him a soul, so he's good now, good, good, good! Made him so he's no longer he, but a lovely, lovely she."

Spike threw his head back and growled deep in his throat. So it was really true. Angelus, the Vampire who was his Sire in every way that mattered, was here. Had been here all the time, right under Spike's nose.

A woman. Spike couldn't help but chuckle. A chuckle that soon grew into an all-out laugh as he rolled that thought around in his head. A woman. The great and powerful Angelus, a woman. It was almost too good to be true.

A woman who was helping the Slayer. Who had prevented him from killing that girl. The laughter died in his throat, to be replaced by a cruel smile. What a wonderful, wonderful opportunity for him. He clearly remembered everything he'd had to endure at Angelus' hands when he had been a mere newborn. How the older Vampire had used him time and again.

"This is perfect!" He whispered to himself.

Turning around, he found Lenny still there, his back pressed against the wall, demon eyes watching him like a scared kitten.

"Lenny, tell the Tarakans that the bounty for the female Vampire is off!"

"They won't like that!" Lenny said, not relishing the idea of going anywhere close to the bounty hunters, especially with news like this.

"I don't care. Tell them that they'll get it on top of what I put out for the girl. Tell them to concentrate on the Slayer and leave the Vampire to me! And find her for me, Lenny! I want her here, alive!"

The Vampire nodded and hastily got out of the room, leaving a smiling Spike behind.

Angelus was a woman now. This was too good to be true. He walked toward Drusilla and slouched down on the bed beside her, softly stroking her face.

"Soon you will be healthy again, pet!" He whispered to her. "And we will have lots of fun with your all new and improved daddy."

"He's mummy now!" Dru giggled. "But only in flesh. Still a man inside. A man who wants what a man wants."

"He will get some, my love!" Spike promised her. "Oh yes, he will get some."

--

Part 7

--

"You are who?" Buffy asked, sure that she had heard incorrectly.

"I am Kendra. The Vampire Slayer."

Buffy faced her opponent in the middle of Angela's wrecked apartment, using the brief respite in their furious battle to catch her breath and go over the events of the last five minutes.

She had slept. Slept in Angela's bed, slept better and longer than she had in a long time. In the dark apartment of her mysterious friend she had felt safe, safe from the assassins that were trying to kill her for nothing but a large sum of cash.

Only that safety had turned out to be an illusion. Some instinct had snapped her out of her sleep, just in time to avoid having her head removed by a steel blade. Fighting instincts had taken over before her mind had come fully awake, making her strike back at her silent attacker but moments later.

It was a girl, no older than she herself was. Larger, more muscled, and fighting like she had done nothing but since the day she'd been born. Methodical, like a machine, relentless. Buffy had found herself on the defensive at the start, her body still sluggish from the long sleep.

When she had finally started fighting back it had quickly wrecked Angela's apartment, destroying what was probably a priceless statue and several paintings, as well as what little furniture Angela had. The two girls had found each other pretty evenly matched, causing a brief respite in the battle.

Enough time for her attacker to lay this bombshell on her.

"You are the Slayer?" Buffy asked to clarify.

"Yes!" The other girl answered, her heavy accent a worse thing to hear than Giles' British brogue or the occasional lapse into Gaelic Angela suffered from.

"Bad cover story, honey. Maybe you shouldn't have tried to take the name of someone whom you were going after."

Kendra just stared at her, no understanding in her eyes.

"I am the Slayer!" Buffy clarified. "One girl in all the world, blah blah blah. So that leaves you out in the cold, sister! You're not the Slayer."

"I am the Slayer!" Kendra just replied. "I don't know what you hope to accomplish by this insane babbling, but it will avail you nothing."

The air between them sizzled with tension, both of them looking for any kind of weakness in the other, yet finding no opening. Buffy went through the previous minutes of the fight in her head, trying to place Kendra's familiar fighting style.

Giles. Giles had taught her to fight just like that. Of course most of her training had come on the job, seeing as she had known nothing about Slayers or Vampires before she had been called, but Giles, and Merrick before him, had done their best to give her at least the basics of a formal fighting style.

Kendra had the whole package.

"Maybe there is something we've not been told." Buffy said. "I tell you what. We'll call a truce and visit my Watcher. Maybe he can figure all this out."

"Your Watcher?" Kendra asked.

"I told you, I'm the Slayer. I have a Watcher. Are you telling me you don't?"

"Of course I have. I am the Slayer."

Buffy sighed. "Okay, then how about we visit mine and try to figure out what this is all about."

Kendra considered her words for a good long while, then dropped her fighting stance.

"I accept your truce. For now."

The two girls walked side by side, neither taking her eyes away from the other, making their way out of the wrecked apartment.

--

"This is truly amazing." Giles said for what had to be the thousandth time. "Two Slayers at the same time. I don't believe this has ever happened before."

Buffy shook her head. She didn't like to think about what Giles thought to be the cause for Kendra's presence. Her death. The Master had killed her, it had been but a few short months since that. She was back, better than ever, but it didn't change the fact that, for those few short minutes, she had been dead.

Drowning in darkness. Nothingness. Dead.

Long enough to cause another Slayer to be called in her stead.

"Okay, so you are both the Slayer then?" Willow asked. "Cool. Two Slayers. But, hey, why did you attack Buffy, Kendra?"

The other Slayer, a strange thought in itself, had her arms crossed in front of her chest, that haughty, detached expression still on her face.

"I thought she was a Vampire."

No further explanation was forthcoming and Buffy gave her rival a condensing smile.

"Good thinking, Sherlock. Makes we wonder if I truly missed anything by not getting the whole raised-to-be-the-Slayer thing."

"I had ample cause to think so." Kendra said, sounding just a bit offended. "I saw you socializing with a Vampire."

"Buffy?" Willow asked. "No, Buffy would never socialize with a Vampire. Though I'm not exactly sure what you mean by socializing. But Buffy would never do such a ... oh, you mean Angela?"

Kendra looked confused again.

"Angela," Buffy explained, "dark-haired, likes to wear black. Is that who you saw me with? Okay, granted, she is a Vampire, but not the average kind. Just believe me when I say she's on our side, okay?."

"Is she?" Kendra asked, cocking her head to one side. "It didn't seem that way to me when I ..."

Kendra's voice trailed off when she saw Buffy stiffen and pale. The blonde Slayer turned toward her with a look in her eyes that managed to penetrate all the way to Kendra's soul.

"When you did what?" Buffy asked through clenched teeth.

"My duty!" Kendra said, not understanding what Buffy was so upset about. They were talking about a Vampire after ...

Without warning she found herself pushed into the wall by the smaller girl, who was snarling in her face with enough rage to set the building ablaze. Buffy felt like she would burst any second. Had her friend been harmed? Was Angela ...?

"What did you do?" Buffy growled. "Did you hurt her? Did you ...?"

Kendra did not know why the other Slayer behaved that way, but some part of her recognized the deep concern in her opposite.

It was just too strange to think that this concern should be for a Vampire. One who was probably ashes by now.

--

Part 8

--

The heat wasn't the worst part.

The stuffy backroom of the bar was hotter than an oven by now, the sun shining in through the window heating up the bare walls until the air seemed to shimmer. Angela's hair was plastered to her face in wet strands, but she didn't have the strength to push it away.

It wasn't the heat that was killing her. It was the light.

She had spent her strength trying to break the deceptively fragile-looking cage door, but it refused to budge. By now she was convinced that Willy had built this thing for more than keeping his liquor reserves safe, but it didn't really make a difference now. She wasn't going anywhere.

The light was slowly coming toward her, taking its sweet time.

It had started making its advance on her in the far corner of her limited space, slowly creeping down the walls as the day drew on, touching the floor and coming toward her. A steady, unrelenting march toward the other corner of the cage, where a sweat-drenched Vampire covered in the few remaining shadows.

Angela had stopped her unnecessary habit of breathing, the air around her was too stuffy for it to offer any comfort at all. She sat huddled, her black coat lying around her like a heating blanket. Most humans thought Vampires didn't sweat, but that wasn't exactly the truth. It just took a lot to really heat up their bodies, seeing as their hearts didn't beat and most other major organs simply stood still as well. Also their bodies contained so little in the way of liquids that there wasn't much to sweat with.

Angela was sure she didn't have a drop of sweat left by now.

Every now and then she growled under her breath, the demon inside her reminding her that she hadn't fed it in a good long while now. She really should have drunken something before leaving last night, but her worry over Buffy had made her forget about unlife's small necessities.

Soon she would never need blood again.

The light was only a few feet away by now and Angela could already feel its deadly touch on her skin. Vampires were mostly asleep during the day, not only because they were active all night, but because moving around during the day was hard. Indirect sunlight, while not lethal, sapped their strength too quickly.

Only a few feet separated Angela from certain death, permanent this time, and she didn't know if she would be able to move even if the door were to suddenly open on its own. Her strength was gone, the light had ripped it out of her slowly as it marched toward her, bleeding her dry like from an open wound.

She closed her eyes for a moment and by the time she managed to open them once more the sun was a good foot closer than before. She was losing time here, blacking out from the proximity of the light. Blacking out, she laughed, though it came out as a dry coughing. What a play with words, seeing as she was about to be swallowed by the light.

She stared at the patch of rough concrete floor just next to her, where the light was moving toward her. She was able to see it move if she stared at the same spot long enough. See it move steadily forward, the very rotation of the planet bringing her closer to her doom with every passing second.

What would be more fitting, she wondered. To remain here, huddled in the last scrapes of shadow like a scared animal, and wait for the light to come toward her? Or to go and meet it on her feet, looking at the sun for the first time in 250 years with her head held high, greeting it for the last time.

The decision was made for her, as she found that her legs simply refused to move from where she had drawn them against her chest. There was no strength left in them.

"This is it then, Angelus!" She whispered to the demon inside of her. Or maybe to herself. She wasn't sure where the distinction lay between the two, or if there really was one. "I guess you will meet your end in the backroom of a dirty bar. Fitting, really. You were born behind a bar as well, weren't you?"

She giggled, imagining what Dru would think now. Dear daddy, or mommy, was stealing her act, talking madly to herself. Maybe the mad Vampire had foreseen this. That was why Angelus had taken a liking to her, after all. Dru was able to see the future. She had seen through her female guise in a moment and saw all too clearly that which still lay beneath.

Had seen the male hunger for the Slayer's sweet body, her beautiful flesh. More than that, the longing for the light and happiness she represented even as she stalked through her dark world. The light was just beside Angela now and she imagined seeing Buffy's smile somewhere in that beautifully lethal glare.

"Can I touch you?" Angela asked, not really sure whom. Slowly one of her hands came up, shaking from exhaustion, reaching out to touch the light.

The cage door clanked open suddenly, a dark shadow falling across the sunlit floor. Soothing darkness fell on Angela as someone stood between her and the light, keeping the lethal lover away from her.

Hands, warm hands. They grabbed her under her arms, dragging her out of the corner she had huddled in and along the floor. Angela could feel the thunder of a pulse beneath the skin of those hands, the beautiful sound of blood rushing from cell to cell. A growl escaped her throat, but the demon had no strength left to go after this wonderful temptation. So she hung limb as the warm hands dragged her away from the light and into the shadows.

Some indefinite amount of time passed until her eyes adjusted to the dimness, allowing her to make out her savior.

Willy? Willy had saved her? He was the last person she would have expected to do that, or at least he was pretty far down the list. Why had he saved her? She didn't understand it.

The sleazy barkeeper let her fall to the ground none too gently as he reached another backroom of the bar, this one blissfully devoid of windows. The cool shadows seemed to wrap themselves around her like healing hands, a gentle lover nursing her slowly back to health. She'd need but a few minutes, no more than half an hour at the most, and she would surely recover enough of her strength to get out of here.

Willy didn't give her that time. From where he had dropped her she saw him wrenching open a trapdoor in the floor, the unmistakable odor of sewer coming from it. Figured that Willy would have a direct entrance to the underworld, seeing as a lot of his most loyal patrons lived down there.

He came over and grabbed her again, awkwardly maneuvering her toward the hole in the ground and unceremoniously dropping her into it. Angela fell like a boneless puppet, not even able to break her fall in any way. She ended up on her back, lying in shallow sewer water, its comfortable coldness soaking her clothes.

For a moment she considered the possibility that Willy was actually trying to help her. Maybe bring her back to her apartment, or at least far enough away from the sun and whatever creatures might be looking for her to keep her from harm.

This illusion didn't last long.

"Here she is, just like you wanted." Willy told someone standing nearby, a figure separating from the surrounding shadows. "Where's my money?"

Spike grinned at the fallen Vampire, dumping a bundle of crumpled dollar notes into Willy's hand. "If anyone learns I got her, you die. Got it?"

"Sure!" Willy said, quickly gathering up the few bills he hadn't been able to catch. "My mouth is sealed."

Spike stalked toward Angela, looking down at her. 250 years of practicing a poker face allowed Angela to keep any betraying signs from her face, but she knew that look on the bleached Vampire's face too well not to feel fear.

"I'm so glad Willy gave me a call regarding your unfortunate situation." Spike said, kneeling down beside her. "I don't think he would have risked getting you out of there if I hadn't offered the money."

He snapped his fingers and two Vampires emerged from the shadows, quickly hauling Angela up by grabbing an arm each. She didn't try fighting them. No sense wasting what little strength she had left in a futile attempt to escape now. There might come a better chance later, unless Spike planned to dust her right here and now.

"It cost me some, I admit," Spike continued, "but I guess it's worth the money."

His hand shot out to grab Angela by the hair, wrenching her head up until they were face to face.

"After all, it's not every day that a lowly Vampire like myself has the opportunity to save the life of his long-lost Sire."

He knew!

That was Angela's last thought before the world around her drowned in darkness.

--

Part 9

--

Buffy burst past Kendra into the sunlit backroom and looked around for any sign of her friend.

Or her remains.

"I still don't understand you." Kendra said, leaning against the door frame. "She is just a Vampire."

"And I keep telling you that I don't care about your understanding. If anything happened to Angela, your ass is mine!"

The second Slayer just shook her head, still confused, while Buffy scanned the caged-off area for any signs of ... of anything. Angela was no longer here, that much was immediately apparent. Also apparent was the fact that the entire room was filled with sunlight.

"Angela?" She called out, no matter how futile it was.

"She did not die here." Kendra said, sounding annoyed. "There is no ash on the floor and the cage door was open. It looks like your demon friend escaped."

Buffy glared at Kendra's tone, but her heart rang out in joy when she realized the other Slayer was correct. No ashes, the cage open. Angela had gotten away. She should have expected nothing less, of course. Angela had survived for over 250 years even without a young girl coming to her rescue.

"Okay, so I guess I won't have to kill you." Buffy said, growling under her breath at Kendra.

The other Slayer ignored her threat. "Now that we know your Vampire is safe, can we please concentrate on the important matters? Your Watcher said that this Spike plans to work some kind of magic with this book he stole."

"I can handle Spike!" Buffy spat at Kendra. "Right now I have to make sure that Angela got away okay."

"Our duty has to come first!" Kendra spat back. "What kind of Slayer are you that you ..."

A noise behind them drew the attention of both girls, causing them to twist around. Kendra recognized the sleazy person. It was the barkeeper the Vampire had been in the process of killing when she had entered.

"Who are you?" Buffy got in the man's face, causing him to flinch back.

"Me? I'm no one, really. No one at all. Just Willy. That's me. Willy. No one."

"Your Vampire tried to kill this man." Kendra remarked, sounding superior. "But I guess since he is so good, that was a misunderstanding on my part." Her words were ignored, though.

"Where is Angela?" Buffy grabbed Willy by his shirt, none too gently pushing him into the nearest wall. "Is she all right?"

"Hey, what do you take me for?" Willy asked, sounding offended and very frightened at the same time. "You think I'd just let her burn? I'm not that kinda guy."

Buffy stared at him for a while longer, then let him go. Angela was safe, that was all that mattered for now.

"Okay." She said. "If I find out you lied to me I will break your legs, understand?"

Willy nodded, paling. Buffy turned back to Kendra.

"I guess now we can deal with Spike. Come on!"

As soon as she found a phone she would call Angela at her apartment, just to be sure.

--

Angela had lost consciousness somewhere in the sewers, passing out from exhaustion and hunger. When she woke again the first thing she noticed was that she could not move.

"I can feel my Angel." She heard a voice. A voice she knew only too well.

"About bloody time you woke up." Another familiar voice.

Before she could open her eyes she was grabbed and hoisted to her feet, where she found herself face to face with Spike. Eyes the color of summer skies bored into hers and she could almost feel the fury vibrating inside him.

Spike had little reason to like her, she remembered only too well all the things she ... Angelus had done to him, just for the fun of it. She wanted to open her mouth to speak, only to realize that she was very effectively gagged.

"Welcome back, Angelus!" He spoke her name, dripping with sarcasm. "I like the new look. It certainly is an improvement over the ugly sucker you were when last we met."

Angela tried to move, but her hands were bound together behind her back, metal cuffs cutting into her wrists. Her legs were free, but she was barely able to stand, let alone fight someone like Spike without the use of her arms.

She had never felt so helpless before.

"Your timing is admirable as always," Spike continued, grinning, "returning to us just when we need you most, old boy."

He turned away from her, looking at the large four-poster bed behind him. Drusilla was dressed all in white, reclining on the bed like something out of a wet dream. Angela felt the slightest stirring of the heat this beautiful girl had always caused inside her ... or him, rather.

"Dru is ill." Spike said, all humor draining from his voice. "She was almost killed by a mob in Prague. As her Sire, I'm sure you are anxious to do everything you can to make her well again."

The smile returned to his lips, sending shivers down Angela's spine.

"Don't worry. It will only cost you your life."

With that he let go, shoving her hard back to the floor. Angela crashed into a collection of cushions, dolls, and assorted junk, her head bouncing off the wall with a painful thud. She had to think of something and soon. Being at Spike's mercy was not something she cared for much.

Spike caressed Drusilla for a moment, but then his attention returned to Angela.

"I remember everything, you know? Everything that went on about a century ago. The great and powerful Angelus, what a hero. You are my role-model, you know?"

He knelt down in front of her, one hand sliding sensuously up her thigh. For the first time Angela was thankful for the gag, for it kept her from gasping. She had been prepared for torture, but ... he couldn't truly be planning ... no, Spike couldn't ...

"I especially admired your way with the girls." Spike said, leaning closer. Angela shrank back from him, from where his hand traveled further up her body. He reached her waistline and pulled her shirt out of her pants, his fingers slowly sliding beneath it.

"I loved how you made them scream."

Angela bit down on the gag, hard, as cold fingers reached the underside of her breast. He couldn't do this! Not to her! She wasn't a woman, she was a man! She was Angelus, one of the most powerful Vampires in the world! Spike couldn't do this!

Drusilla was smiling so broadly it threatened to split her face in two.

"Wanna see how good a student I was, Peaches?" Spike's free hand went to his zipper.

Somewhere, Angela was sure, the Gypsies were laughing in delight.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2

Part 10

--

Buffy wasn't having a very good day. Not at all.

It wasn't enough that professional assassins were after her. No, that alone wouldn't have been enough for the Slayer. She had to encounter a second Slayer on top of that, a girl so incredibly obnoxious and arrogant that it turned her stomach.

Giles wasn't helping things, what with being fascinated by how many books Kendra had eaten up in her childhood, seeing as she had been raised to be the Slayer from her birth. Seeing them laugh together about some kind of literary reference she had no hope of understanding had been more than she could bare.

Giles was her Watcher. She was the Slayer. Not this ... this ... she couldn't think of a word that really described how she felt about the other Slayer, but it was somewhere in the general vicinity of 'bitch'.

And to top it all off, she hadn't heard from Angela yet.

"Hey, you okay?" Willow asked her.

"Sure. Just ... not okay." Buffy said. "I know that didn't make much sense."

"It's Kendra, right?" The redhead said. "Don't worry, Buffy. She can't replace you. No one could."

Buffy looked at Kendra and Giles talking together and another thought came to her.

"But what if I want her to?"

"What?"

"I mean, look at her! Kendra likes being the Slayer. Has never known anything else. If she likes this stupid job so much, why don't I let her take it? As soon as this thing with Spike is done with I'll tell Kendra she can take over and I'll go to Disney Land."

Willow looked at her, then shook her head.

"No, you can't." She just said.

"Okay, so maybe not Disney Land. But I hear New York is a pretty place."

"I mean you can't just quit being the Slayer because of Kendra. I can't imagine you quitting."

Buffy sighed. "Okay, maybe I won't. But ... maybe things will get easier. You know, with two Slayer around, maybe I can take some time off once in a while. Maybe me and Kendra can take turns guarding the Hellmouth or something. I could go on holiday."

Buffy babbled on about the possibilities of there being two Slayers, Willow nodding in all the right places. She could clearly see that Buffy was worried about something else. Something that was not Kendra.

With a bit of chagrin Willow realized what that something had to be.

"Nothing from Angela?"

Buffy stopped in her tracks, looking at Willow. Then her eyes went dark with worry.

"Nothing. I know she got out of that cage, Willow, but ... when I thought she might have died in there, died because I wasn't there ..."

"Buffy, Angela took care of herself centuries before you were born. She won't go down because of a second-class Slayer."

The two girls shared a chuckle, once again looking over at Kendra and Giles.

"You're probably right. Still, I worry about her. She isn't at her apartment, so where could she be?"

"She's probably just recuperating somewhere, safely out of the daylight. You'll see, the moment darkness falls she'll be here and scare us out of our wits by appearing from thin air."

They walked along the corridors, which were still very busy with Snyder's newest brain child. The career fare.

"I have to check out law enforcement now." Buffy said, scowling. "I don't know how they picked me for that. I'll never be a cop."

Willow just smiled. She would never say it out loud, but she was convinced Buffy would make a great cop.

--

Everything happened in a matter of seconds. Buffy's name had been called by the police officer present to demonstrate a career in law enforcement. She had raised her hand and moments later bullets were flying her way.

A Taraka assassin. Here. In her school. Oh, Spike would pay for that!

Students were screaming all around her. People simply vanishing in the dead of night, to be later found dead, that was nothing new for the students of Sunnydale High. But a shoot-out right in the middle of the day, they hadn't seen that yet.

"Get down!" Buffy screamed at the people present, moments later following her own advice. The police woman, or fake police woman, was shooting for all she was worth. Buffy was reminded of the time Darla had come after her with guns.

Only this time there was no Angela around to catch a bullet for her.

Buffy heard a scream. Willow! She saw the redhead go down, some guy on top of her. He had shoved her out of the way and caught a bullet himself.

"Enough is enough!" She yelled, jumping up from behind her cover.

Only to find herself looking right into the barrel of the gun.

"So much for the Slayer!" The assassin grinned. Buffy froze.

A kick came out of nowhere and knocked the weapon from the assassin's hand. Buffy reacted on instinct and threw a kick of her own, sending the woman flying. Kendra was by her side in a second and the two Slayers faced the downed assassin.

Buffy was still too shocked to come up with a good pun and Kendra wasn't really good at them, either. The silence was filled with tension.

The assassin took a moment to assess the situation, then bolted.

Kendra went after her. For a moment Buffy thought about doing the same thing, but then she heard Willow yell for a doctor and was by her friend's side in a moment. The guy that had shoved her aside was sitting up, staring in fascination at the wound in his shoulder.

"I'm shot." He murmured. "Wow!"

"We have to get him a doctor!" Willow cried.

Kendra came back in. "She got away." She said matter-of-factly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll come around again." Buffy smiled up at Kendra. "Thanks by the way."

Kendra just nodded in that arrogant way she had. Buffy sighed.

--

Part 11

--

With the chaos outside finally dying down, Buffy and Willow returned to library, where Kendra was already talking with Giles. Buffy still hated seeing her Watcher with the other Slayer, no matter that said Slayer had just saved her life.

"Ah, Buffy." Giles said, seeing her. "Are you all right? I heard ..."

"I'm okay. Thanks to Kendra." Buffy gave the girl a reluctant smile. "One of the students was shot, but it's just a flesh wound. He'll be fine."

"Good, good!"

Something in Giles' voice told Buffy that something else had come up. Something not good.

"What is it, Giles?"

Her Watcher took off his glasses to rub his eyes.

"I ... we think we have figured out what Spike needs the book and the Cross of DuLac for. It's not good."

"Not a recipe for French fries, DuLac style, I guess." Buffy tried to lighten the mood.

"Not exactly." Giles nodded. "The magic described in the book can be used, among other things, to restore an ailing Vampire back to full health."

"Someone like Drusilla?" Willow asked in a small voice, hoping for Giles to say it wasn't so.

Buffy remained calm, but inside she was anything but. Angela had told her some stories about Drusilla, the mad Vampire. She wasn't the strongest bloodsucker around, but she was a seer, gifted with some kind of prophecy power. There was no telling the carnage she would be able to cause.

"We have to stop Spike then." Buffy said. "I'd guess he'll need some rituals, talismans, and stuff, right? The usual boogaboo. Maybe we can find him that way."

There was a grave look on Giles' face, one that sent Buffy into deep worry.

"Giles, what is it you're not telling me?" She implored.

"This Spike needs the blood of Drusilla's Sire to restore her." Kendra said, confused as to why the Watcher was so distraught over this news. "It won't work otherwise."

Buffy paled, looking at Giles, desperately pleading with him to tell her that Kendra was joking, or making a mistake. The Watcher just nodded, though, not meeting his Slayer's eyes.

"Angela." Giles confirmed.

"No!" Buffy almost didn't recognize her own voice. Was this her voice? So full of fear?

"This Vampire you like so much?" Kendra asked.

"He needs Angela?" Buffy asked. "What ... what will he do to her? Will this ritual ... will it ...?"

"I'm afraid it will." Giles said.

Angela dead? No, that couldn't happen. Buffy couldn't imagine what her life would be like without her mysterious friend to watch her back. How often had Angela saved her life already? Helped her make sense of the all the weirdness. It would be like losing Giles. Or Willow. Or Xander. It mustn't happen!

"We have to find her!" Buffy said resolutely.

"But you said Spike didn't recognize Angela." Willow said. "Maybe ... maybe he doesn't know."

Yes, Buffy remembered. Spike hadn't known who Angela was the two times they had met so far. Which was strange, come to think of it. Angela had told her that Spike had taken over care for Drusilla when Angela tired of her, so how come Spike didn't know her? Angela had also hinted that she had abused Spike when he had been a fledgling. Were a hundred years enough to make the bleached wonder forget her?

She couldn't quite imagine that. Spike struck her as the kind who held a grudge. Something was missing here.

"We still have to find her." Buffy said. "Maybe Spike found out or maybe Drusilla told him. She certainly knows who her Sire is."

Xander picked up the phone and dialed the number of Angela's apartment, but no one picked up.

"She's still not home."

"Where is she, damn it!" Buffy swore. "We know she got out of that cage and ..."

A thought occurred to her. "Or maybe she didn't."

"What?" Kendra asked.

"We only have that sleazy barkeeper's word that she did. Maybe she didn't get out, but instead someone took her out of that cage."

"Someone like Spike?" Willow asked.

Buffy nodded.

--

Angela's world had been reduced to pain. Exhaustion and thirst for blood had long since robbed her of the strength to even scream. The only things she still noticed were the agony inflicted upon her body by the cold hands and shaft of her tormentor and the beautiful voice laughing in the background.

"May I play, Spike?" She knew that voice from somewhere. Drusilla?

Someone grabbed her by the hair, roughly pulling back her head. She felt blood trail down her face, not able to tell where it was coming from. There was a pain in her neck where sharp fangs had entered in numerous spots. Her eyes refused to focus, but she saw the outlines of a pale face right in front of her.

"Of course, luv!" A deeper voice. Familiar as well. "Everyone should have fun while it lasts."

Angela's eyes fell shut again when she felt another hand touch her. A small, cold hand, one that seemed to know exactly where to touch and how to do it. A whimper escaped Angela's lips as a wave of unwanted pleasure swept through her abused body.

"Daddy always touched me here." Drusilla whispered into her ear. "He knew how to make me happy. But never for long."

The next thing Angela felt was some kind of liquid touching her skin. A burning pain tore through every inch of her body.

"He said it would make me clean and shiny!" Drusilla sang.

Angela screamed as the holy water poured down on her.

--

Part 12

--

Angela knew what it was like to break people.

Break their bodies, break their minds, enjoy their pain like one would enjoy the taste of freshly spilled blood. Angelus had been quite the sadist. Had even gone so far as to read and memorize everything that men of that time knew about human anatomy. Just so he could hurt them more.

Oh yes, Angela knew what it felt like to break people. She just never had it done to her before.

Pain was nothing new to her. She had existed with little else these past hundred years. Thinking about it, she found that this was actually a better kind of pain. Because this pain could be cured with a drink of animal blood or a good long rest. The other, though, had been the kind of pain that never let her go, no matter how far she ran, because it came from the inside.

All her thoughts about better and worse kinds of pain did not lessen what she felt right now, of course.

Pain all over. Every inch of her body was in agony. A part of her, the demon part, could not help but be proud of how much her boy William had learned at Angelus' feet. Yet that same demon was furious at the whelp for daring to do this to his elder.

The largest part of Angela did her best to try and feel nothing. Try not to flinch at the slightest sound, fearing that it meant more pain for her. Try not to shiver when hearing Spike and Drusilla moan on the bed beside her. Try not to voice the agony that still tore through her body, knowing it would only inspire Spike to more effort.

She was on her back, left lying on the cold stone floor, while her tormentors amused themselves on the bed. She was no longer tied up, but couldn't have moved or fought for the life of her. She had lost track of the injuries and pains, there were just too many to count.

One small part of her mind, though, the one not occupied with pain and fear of more pain, saw things with a surprising, almost crystal clarity. Spike and Dru were done with their games. She could feel the sun begin to set and then the ritual would start. The one that would kill her and restore Drusilla to full power.

And once that happened the two of them would no doubt go after Buffy.

Angela was broken in body, but not in mind. Yes, she was afraid. Yes, she was in more physical pain that she had ever believed existed, but all that paled beside the certain knowledge of what would happen to Buffy unless she managed to stop Spike.

And there was but one way for her to stop him now.

--

Spike felt better than he had in a long, long time. It was like an itch he had suffered from for a century and change, now finally able to scratch. Reclining on the large bed beside his beautiful black goddess, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"You are not tidy, my Spike." Dru admonished him, leaning over to lick a few drops of blood from his cheek. Sire blood, he remembered with a shiver running down his spine. Dru's Sire and, for all intents and purposes, his own.

He remembered that night only too well. How Dru had bitten him in that alley, but had then been unable to finish the transformation. He remembered Darla and Angelus coming into the alley as well, remembered their annoyed glances as they saw what their mad companion had done.

Hovering between life and death he had witnessed Drusilla pleading with Angelus, begging him to finish the becoming of her white knight. How Angelus had finally relented, mostly to get Drusilla off his back, only to then subject his newly made childe to all kinds of hell.

Spike remembered. He remembered every last agonizing second of it as if it had been yesterday. Getting even was so sweet, he thought. So very sweet indeed.

Spike was ripped from his joyous thoughts by a pained chuckle hailing from the floor beside the bed. That sound offended him to no end.

"And what do you have to laugh about?" He asked, leaning over the side of the bed.

Angela was prone on the floor, staring up at him with one eye, the other swollen shut. Her black clothing had been ripped to shreds, leaving only a few tatters that hid nothing. Her pale skin was covered with bruises and cuts, holy water burns, and over a dozen fang marks, some of them still fresh and bleeding. She was bleeding from between her legs as well and the fingers of one hand stood off at odd angles, broken in a dozen places.

She was laughing at him.

"Spike, my boy." She whispered between chuckles. "What a big bad you have become."

Spike felt his blood run hot, anger surging through him. He had beaten Angelus, had reduced him to nothing but a victim. How come the bastard was still laughing at him? Laughing like he had done so often in the past? That disdainful, slightly amused laugh that had always chilled Spike to the bone.

"You are asking for it, aren't you?" Spike grimaced.

"I'm so very proud of you." Angela continued, oblivious to his rage. "Seems I managed to teach you some things after all. And here I thought you were beyond hope."

Spike jumped off the bed and wrenched her up by the hair, snarling in her face.

"Maybe you misunderstand your situation, 'teacher'. You will die before the sun rises tomorrow."

Angela winced with the pain, but her smile didn't waver.

"Didn't take good care of Dru, though, did you?" She chuckled. "Girl seems to be a bit unsatisfied. I could tell from her touching me. I remember it well."

Her hand rose, though shaking badly, and brushed over Spike's chest. "But then again, really satisfying a woman is a trick I never taught you. Didn't pick it up these last 100 years, either."

Spike's vision narrowed down to the bruised but smiling face in front of him, a red haze of fury falling across his thoughts. This face, so unfamiliar, yet now that he knew there was no mistaking it. The same eyes. The same smirk.

He wanted to tear it right off.

"Spike, no!" Drusilla's cold hand fell on his shoulder. "Playing head games, daddy is. Still does it so well."

Spike's hand had closed around Angela's neck, pressing down so hard that he could hear bones beginning to break. He needed every ounce of self-control to not simply tear off her head and be done with it.

Which would have been just what she wanted.

"Oh no, you don't!" Spike smiled, letting her drop from his grip. "You won't go out this easy."

He kicked her hard into the ribs, her moan of pain sending shivers of pleasure down his spine.

"You will die, bastard. Not now, though. Not before your blood restores Drusilla to full strength. And once that has happened we will go out and kill that girl you are so fond of."

He knelt down, wrenching up her head until they were face to face again.

"I think I'll do to her all I did to you tonight. How do you like that?"

Angela gave no answer, just stared at him in an impotent fury that, to Spike, was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

--

Part 13

--

Buffy tried to remember a time in her life when she had been more worried than she was right now. Of course there was the time she had gone to face the Master, knowing that she would die. She had been almost paralyzed with fear then. This, though, was a different kind of fear. A more terrible one by far.

She was afraid she would lose her friend.

Buffy found herself more and more confused about her feelings for the mysterious Vampire. She was a friend, a very good friend, yet completely different from Willow or Xander. With Angela she seemed to connect on a much deeper level than with the others. She couldn't quite put it into words, she only knew that the thought of losing Angela filled her with more dread than she had ever experienced.

She wouldn't allow it to happen.

"Where is she?" Buffy asked the moment they set foot into the sleazy bar.

The barkeeper, Willy, if she remembered right, turned around and looked at the two approaching Slayers with a look of stark fear, quickly replaced by a dazzling smile.

"How good to see you," he beamed, "what can I ...?"

He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Buffy grabbed him and unceremoniously pushed him into the nearest wall. She was all out of patience and made no effort to hide it.

"Where is Angela?" Buffy growled at the sleazy barkeeper, clenching her free hand into a fist.

"Angela? But ... but I already told you that ..."

"I remember what you told us." Buffy cut him off. "Now I want the truth. Where is she?"

"I really don't know ..."

"Just hit him." Kendra remarked in a bored tone of voice, once again wondering why they were going to all this effort on behalf of a Vampire. If this weren't about preventing the Vampire Drusilla from regaining her full power she wouldn't even have bothered.

This blonde Slayer was certainly not how her Watcher had told her a Slayer should be.

Buffy shrugged. "I guess hitting him might work."

She raised her fist, causing Willy to pale and struggle in her grip.

"Wait! I ... I think I remember something."

"Remember fast!" Buffy didn't lower her fist.

"I ... well, I didn't lie to you. Not exactly, mind you. I got her out of that cage, I did. Saved her from being fried by the sun. Doesn't that give me some points?"

"Depends on what happened next."

Willy avoided meeting her eyes, sweat breaking out on his brow.

"Oh, well, I ... well ..."

"Spill it!" Buffy moved her fist closer to his face.

"He will kill me." Willy whimpered. "Or worse."

"Spike." Buffy nodded, managing to keep the terror she felt away from her face. Spike had Angela. He was going to sacrifice her to make Drusilla strong again.

"Where did he take her?" Buffy screamed at Willy. "Where are they holding that ritual?"

From what Giles and Kendra had unearthed from the dusty books they knew that the ritual had to take place in a church. Willow was busy looking up all churches in Sunnydale, but there were quite a few of them in town. The redhead was a genius at finding things on the net, but Buffy was not willing to bet Angela's life on Willow being quick enough.

"Look, I really don't know." Willy struggled.

"Hit him!" Kendra said once again, still seeming bored.

"I'm starting to like her attitude." Buffy remarked.

"Wait! Wait, I think I remember. There was this ... yes, it's coming back to me. Spike said something about ... I can't remember the name, but I can lead you there."

Buffy regarded him suspiciously. Didn't remember the name, right. Could only lead her there. This whole thing stank of a trap. Still, leaving Willy here was the more dangerous alternative, as she didn't much doubt he would reach for the phone and call Spike to warn him the minute she left through the door.

"Okay, let's go!" She pulled him away from the wall and sent him stumbling toward the exit.

"Wait!" Kendra stood in Buffy's way. "We have to check back with the Watcher first."

"We don't have time for this!" Buffy brushed her off and started to go past her. Kendra's hand on her shoulder stopped her, though.

"It is the procedure!" The other Slayer said forcefully. "You can't break the rules every time you feel like it."

"Stuff your rules!" Buffy got in her face. "If we don't hurry Angela will die and Drusilla will be back to full power. That is a lot more important than your stupid rules."

"You're letting your personal feelings for this Vampire blind you." Kendra accused. "A Slayer can't allow herself to be distracted by emotions."

"You are doing the emotionless thing well enough for the both of us. If you want to go to Giles to wait for orders, feel free to do so. Now get out of my way or I will remove you!"

For a moment Buffy thought that Kendra might actually go to blows with her over this, but then the other Slayer sighed and stepped aside. Buffy pushed Willy through the door.

"Your emotions will get you killed!" She heard Kendra call after her, but paid no attention.

--

The church in question turned out to be a small abandoned building at the edge of town. A sign at the entrance warned people not to enter, as the structure was no longer safe and would soon undergo reconstruction.

The lights were on inside.

Willy led her through a side entrance into a lit corridor, constantly turning to look back at her. She couldn't quite figure out whether he was looking to see if she was finally gone or to make sure she was still following him.

"See?" He said, almost stuttering. "I told you I could lead you here. Don't ever say your good friend Willy lets you down!"

Buffy was about to reply something when they rounded a corner and suddenly found themselves face to face with three Vampires.

"Slayer!" They hissed at her.

Buffy started to take a step back, only to realize someone was behind her as well. One of them was the assassin from school, still dressed up as a police woman. The other looked like a nerdy salesman, not at all dangerous, except for the glint in his spectacled eyes. She remembered Cordelia and Xander telling her about the worm guy who had attacked them at her home.

She was in trouble.

"See?" Willy addressed the Vampires and assassins. "I told you I would bring her to you. Don't ever say your good friend Willy lets you down!"

--

Part 14

--

A Vampire held her on each side, dead hands like steel vises around her arms. The Taraka assassins were behind her, no doubt ready to kill her the moment she tried something. Willy was walking in front, leading the way deeper into the church. Buffy knew she was in a lot of trouble.

All thoughts for her own safety fled, though, the moment they entered the main chamber of the church.

"Angela!" She cried out, unable to keep silent.

Her friend was tied together with Drusilla, both of them kept upright by a rope trailing down from the ceiling. Their hands were tied together above their heads. A huge knife had been thrust clear through both their palms and a pale light was glowing, even as she saw blood trail down from the wounds.

Angela looked like she had been run over at least three times. Her clothing was all but gone, only tatters remained. Her pale skin was littered with bruises, cuts, and bite marks. Buffy couldn't see her face, it was hidden by dirty strands of her dark hair, but she did see the large, still-bleeding bite mark at her throat. And the blood trailing down from somewhere high up her thigh.

"What is she doing here?" Spike thundered as he saw the newcomers. Buffy's gaze went toward him and the bleached Vampire actually paused for a moment when he met the Slayer's eyes. If looks could kill he would have been six feet under right then and there.

"You'll die for this!" Buffy yelled at him, struggling in the grip of her captors.

"You wanted her, you said." Willy moved toward Spike. "Here she is."

"I wanted her dead, you idiot!" Spike slapped the sleazy barkeeper. "Dead. As in dead! Gone! You get the message?"

"You ... you didn't specify it quite like that."

Spike took a deep breath, mumbling something about being surrounded by idiots, then turned toward the Slayer with a big smile on his demon face.

"Well, since you happen to be here, why don't I show you around?"

He motioned for her Vampire captors to bring her forward, closer to the bound pair of Angela and Dru. Buffy had to bite back the tears that threatened to spill over with every new mark and wound she saw on Angela's abused body. Now she could see that her friend's eyes were closed and she could but hope that Angela was too far gone to feel pain right now.

Spike had done this to her. She would kill him for this.

"The ritual has already begun," Spike said casually, "just in case you wondered. I think it will take, oh, maybe another twenty minutes or so. Then Dru will be all restored and your little friend here will be dead. Permanently, this time."

--

Spike saw the hatred and deep concern in the Slayer's eyes, the almost physical pain she experienced upon seeing Angelus like that. It made him feel great to see her hurting this way, yet at the same time it made him wonder. The bastard's concern for the Slayer was probably the result of the Gypsy course that had fucked him up so beautifully, but how come the Slayer was so fond of the big poof?

A funny thought occurred to him. The Slayer obviously knew that her friend was a Vampire, but was it possible that she didn't really know much more than that? Did she know just who was imprisoned inside this female flesh? Did she know who she was feeling so strongly for?

Spike decided to put this to a little test. Just some entertainment to bridge the time until his dark goddess rose.

--

"How much fun we had." Spike sighed, regarding Angela's abused form. "It really brought up a lot of old memories for me, you know? The good, old days."

Buffy glared at him. "I know all about you, Spike. What was this? Your sick attempt at getting back at her for what she did to you? I bet she didn't have to tie you down for it."

Spike growled, but the explosion of temper Buffy had hoped for did not come.

"As a matter of fact I didn't tie her down." He mused. "Not the entire time, that is. I think I untied her the moment she started to beg me. Though I'm not quite sure whether she wanted me to stop or to go on."

Buffy wanted to rip him apart right then and there, but the odds were still too much against her. For the first time she was sorry that Kendra hadn't come along. Together the two of them could have torn up this ceremony but good.

Once again her eyes returned to Angela and burning rage seethed through her veins.

"He was quite the sadist, you know?" Spike asked her. "Never could get enough of seeing others suffer."

He? Who was Spike talking about now?

"But that is all in the past now." He continued. "Your friend here will soon be beyond pain. A pity, really. I could have shown her a good time if I had a few decades to spare."

"Yeah, I guess you would need that much time to figure out how to give someone a good time." Buffy shot back, confusion giving way to rage again. "I bet torturing Angela made Dru come a lot more often than you did the last fifty years."

Angela hadn't told Buffy much about the relationship between her, Drusilla, and Spike, but from what little Buffy had learned Spike had always sounded like the third wheel. Someone Dru took as a lover because Angela had grown tired of her. No matter how much the thought of Angela and Drusilla doing ... whatever ... disturbed her, she was sure that Spike didn't much care for having it mentioned, either.

The bleached Vampire growled again, louder. "You shouldn't talk about things you know nothing about, little virgin." He grinned. "Though maybe I'll remedy that situation before I'll kill you. I sort of promised the big poof here that everything I did to her I would also do to you. I hate to go back on my word."

"Just try it, you bastard!" Buffy strained against the arms holding her back. "If you're so manly, why don't you show me? Or did you need another five guys to hold down Angela as well?"

She could see Spike's temper flaring. If only he would lose his cool, then she'd have a chance. She didn't dare turn her eyes away from him to look at Angela, to check if she was even still alive. How could you tell if a Vampire was still alive? Or as alive as a Vampire ever was? She didn't know. She just didn't know.

Spike looked ready to explode, but he wasn't the one to suddenly burst into dust. Everyone stopped to look at the expanding dust cloud where a Vampire had just stood, only to see a dark-skinned girl standing there instead.

"Let her go!" Kendra warned, a stake in hand.

Buffy didn't wait for the confusion to pass and utilized her captor's momentary lapse of attention. One of them died, impaled by the reserve stake Buffy carried in her boot.

The two Slayers stood shoulder to shoulder, glaring at Spike.

"Now let's take this from the top again!" Buffy growled at the Vampire.

"Oh, by all means." He growled back. "Let's!"

--

Part 15

--

The sound of battle slowly drew Angela back to consciousness. It was not a place she wanted to go, as it was full of pain and humiliation. If she just stayed in the dark place the pain wouldn't reach her. She was safe here. Safe from the pain. Safe from the memories.

Fangs sinking into flesh. Endless nights through the centuries filled with blood and the screams of the innocent. No, she didn't want to have these memories anymore. Didn't want all this pain. She knew if she just let herself go then death would finally come and claim her, as it should have done over two centuries ago.

Only she couldn't. Something held her back from taking the Reaper's offered hand.

"Oh no, you don't!" Someone yelled right beside her.

Buffy?

It took more strength than she thought she'd have left, but Angela managed to open her eyes. Awareness returned, and with it the pain. Every fiber of her body was screaming in agony, dead flesh abused beyond even demonic endurance.

She opened her eyes and saw that a battle was going on all around her.

"That's for sending assassins after me!" Buffy yelled, throwing a roundhouse kick into Spike's demon face. "And that's for that Halloween stunt you pulled!"

Kendra was there with her, Angela saw, fighting with a woman in a police uniform. One of the Taraka assassins? Other people were there as well. She saw Giles and Willow, armed with crossbow and holy water, trying to finish off a Vampire in the other corner of the church. She saw Cordelia and Xander, fleeing from a mass of worms crawling after them.

The mixture of fright and disgust on Cordelia's face was a very funny thing to see, Angela thought.

Almost as a side note she noticed that she was tied together with Drusilla. The other Vampire's cheeks seemed less pale than she remembered from just a few hours ago. There was something very close to a sparkle playing across her skin and her sensuous mouth was spread in a warm smile.

A part of her remembered how much that smile had fascinated her ... him. How he had done everything to wipe it from that face forever.

Angela managed to look up and saw the knife that had been rammed through both their hands. She could feel her life's blood run through that wound, out of her body and into Drusilla's. This had to be the ritual, Angela thought with an almost amused detachment. No doubt it was killing her right now, even as it restored Drusilla's strength.

She knew she had to get out of here. But how? How?

"I'm going to make you eat those words!" Spike snarled, driving Buffy back with a flurry of kicks and punches. "That will be Spike three, Slayers zero!"

"In your dreams!" Buffy countered his blow and landed one of her own. Just a few steps away Kendra tore into the female assassin, throwing punch after punch, kick after kick. Strange, Angela thought, Kendra hadn't struck her as the emotional type. Maybe it had something to do with her shirt getting slashed open.

The blood loss was making her dizzy, Angela realized. She suppressed the urge to giggle like a madwoman. If only it didn't hurt so much.

A loud crash brought her attention back to the fight, just in time to see Spike collide with a wall. One of the torches the Vampires had put up fell down and set the wall hanging ablaze. Spike got back to his feet, quickly batting out his burning coat sleeve.

The flames were spreading quickly and Angela watched with morbid fascination as they made their way toward her. Maybe that was her way out of this nightmare that was her life. Maybe she could touch it like she had almost touched the sunlight.

If only she had reached out to the sunlight, then all this pain wouldn't have happened.

"Oh no!" Spike yelled, swatting Buffy aside. He came running toward them and Angela would have flinched back, had she been able to. What Spike had done to her ... no, stay away! She didn't want him anywhere near her.

Spike quickly cut Drusilla loose, letting Angela drop to the floor without so much as a second thought.

"Just hope it was enough, baby!" He whispered to her. "We have to get out of here!"

The fire had already cut the church in half, filling it with smoke. Angela's eyes were heavy, threatening to fall shut. As if through a haze she saw Buffy throw something at Spike's retreating figure, causing the Vampire and the limp form he carried to fall and crash into the church's organ.

Moments later it came tumbling down on them, even as Angela drowned in darkness.

"That's for messing with my friends, you pig!" Buffy yelled at the rubble, then quickly made her way through the burning church toward the altar. Angela had crumbled into a bloody heap, not moving. Seeing her like this tore out Buffy's heart all over again.

"Angela!" She yelled, kneeling down beside the prone Vampire. Wiping away strands of hair sticky with blood she cradled Angela's face in her hands and tried to get any kind of reaction.

"Can you hear me?" She yelled, tears bursting from her eyes. "Don't you dare die on me, you hear? I won't let you!"

The crash of a burning support beam tumbling down from the church's ceiling brought Buffy back to reality. She had to get Angela out of here and fast, otherwise it wouldn't matter if she was still alive or not. She pulled the larger woman to her feet, awkwardly trying to lift her without adding any more pain.

Another pair of arms suddenly went around the dark-haired Vampire and Buffy looked up to see Kendra at her side.

"Let's get her out of here!" The other Slayer said.

Buffy gave her a thankful smile and together the two of them carried Angela's limp form out of the burning building. It seemed to take an eternity until they reached the street, but when they finally did the cool night air welcomed them like a long-lost friend.

Slowly the two Slayers lowered the Vampire to the ground, Buffy drawing Angela's head into her lap. Willow was by her side a second later, her eyes wide upon seeing the sorry state their friend was in.

"Is she ...?" Willow asked, unable to reach out and touch Angela, afraid of somehow making things worse no matter what she did.

"Giles?" Buffy looked up at her Watcher, pleading with him to tell her something positive. Giles took off his tweed jacket and quickly spread it over Angela's exposed body.

"She isn't dust, Buffy." He told his Slayer. "It will take time, but she will survive. I'm sure."

As if on cue Angela's eyes fluttered open, the chocolate orbs looking up to see Buffy's face above her.

"Buffy?" She asked, as if unable to believe what she saw.

"I'm here!" Buffy said, brushing her hand softly across Angela's bruised cheeks. "I'm here and you're safe. I promise you."

Tears trailed down Buffy's cheeks as Angela's eyes closed again.

--

Part 16

--

"Is she going to be all right?" Kendra asked Buffy.

"I hope so," the blonde Slayer said somberly, "though I guess it's too early to say. I mean, the wounds and stuff, they will heal. As far as the rest goes, though, ..."

Kendra nodded, understanding. Human woman or Vampire, in this case it didn't really make much of a difference. What Angela had gone through was enough to shatter many a person. To her own astonishment Kendra found herself saying a prayer for the dark-haired Vampire to get well again.

"Thanks again for your help." Buffy said as they walked toward the waiting cab. "I'm not sure I could have done this without you."

"You couldn't have." Kendra said simply. For a moment Buffy's eyes widened and the blonde was on the verge of an outburst, when Kendra's lips spread in a smile. "Or maybe."

"You almost had me there." Buffy complained, playfully smacking Kendra's shoulder. "Go on, get out of here! And remember what I told you about traveling!"

"No hiding among the freight." Kendra repeated dutifully. "I will buy a ticket and take a seat just like a normal passenger."

"Good. I hope you won't get into trouble with your Watcher over this."

"Oh, I'll think I'll leave out the parts about helping you save a Vampire. Then everything will be fine."

Buffy gave her a grin. "Bending the sacred rules, are we?"

"Maybe a little." Kendra shrugged. "But I guess it isn't always about the rules."

Buffy smiled and stepped forward with her arms spread out, but Kendra stepped back.

"I don't hug!" The other Slayer simply said.

"Oh, sorry."

Kendra got into the car and lowered the window to look at Buffy again.

"Good luck to you and your Vampire friend. I hope she gets well again."

"I will take care of her. At least as much as this job allows me to." She sighed.

"You are again referring to it as a job." Kendra admonished her. "It's not. It's who you are."

"Did your books teach you that?" Buffy asked sarcastically.

"No. You did."

They shared another smile, each of them secretly glad of not being alone anymore, and then Kendra was gone. Buffy looked after her for a moment, then walked back to the school.

"Ah, Buffy!" Giles greeted her when she entered the library. "Good. According to my information it seems that the Order of Taraka will not send anymore assassins here. With Spike dead there is no more bounty to be had."

"And good riddance to those swell guys." Xander remarked. "I'm just glad to got to stomp on worm guy."

"Don't remind me!" Cordelia said, making a face.

Buffy was just glad that the assassins were gone. No longer on anyone's hit list, or at least not on a professional one. She could handle the Vampires and run-of-the-mill critters the Hellmouth threw at her daily.

Speaking of Vampires ...

"Any progress?" She asked Giles.

The Watcher grew somber quickly.

"Not much, I fear. None of my books holds much information about ways to restore a Vampire back to health. Well, except the book of DuLac, of course, but with Angela having staked her own Sire ..."

"I get the picture." Buffy said, not really wanting to remember that night. "So I guess we can do nothing but feed her blood and hope for the best."

She tried to sound casual about it, but was fooling no one.

"Jenny is with Angela right now." Giles said. "She will keep watch until you go by after school."

Buffy nodded. She had convinced the gang to take turns watching over the ailing Vampire. She was taking no more risks until Angela was back to full strength, no matter how long that might take.

Her mother thought she was doing sleep-overs at Willow's while Buffy was spending the nights watching her friend.

"I think I'll get back to class now." She said, looking for a way to distract herself. Then she remembered something else. "Giles, when Spike had me prisoner, he was talking about the ... the things he had done to Angela ... you know. He ... he also said something about 'Him' having been quite the sadist."

"Him? Who did he mean?" Giles asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me. It came completely out of the blue and he didn't mention any names, but considering the topic he was talking about at that time ..."

"You think maybe Spike had help in ... harming Angela the way he did? Someone who is still around?"

"Maybe. Could you look it up?"

The Watcher nodded thoughtfully. "I will look some more into Angela's tangled family history, maybe turn up someone who has a history with them. Though I had hoped that, with most of that Vampire family now dead, I could file these books away for good. Some of the stories are ... quite disturbing."

Buffy nodded. Angela had hinted at a lot of things she had done while being without a soul and it was enough so that Buffy didn't want any details. But if someone else from her or Spike's past had helped the late bleached wonder in torturing her than Buffy wanted that mysterious 'he' and she wanted him bad.

"I will let you know if I find something." Giles said. "You should get to class now."

Buffy nodded and left, while Giles looked through his books. He remembered something from when he had read up on this very tangled Vampire bloodline the first time. The Master, Luke, Darla, Spike, Drusilla, all of them were now dead. There had been another, though, he remembered, someone the books had described as quite sadistic and cruel. Giles leafed through the pages, looking for the reference he half remembered.

Angelus, yes. That had been the name. Giles began to read.

--

Part 17

--

Jenny Calendar looked around the dark apartment she was in. Most of the damage from Buffy fighting Kendra had been removed by a combined effort of Buffy and her friends, though some of the priceless artwork was irrevocably lost.

Glancing over at the bed in the corner, Jenny thought that the owner of said artwork probably didn't much care right now.

Seeing as they could not exactly take Angela to a doctor they had been forced to do the examining and treating themselves. Jenny was horrified at the extent of the injuries, no human being could possibly have survived even a fraction of that.

But Angela was not a human being, was she?

Jenny shook her head. What was she doing here? It was not her job to help Vampires, especially this Vampire. She was here to watch her. To make sure that Angelus' suffering continued. She felt that she should rejoice seeing this, the once terrible and frightening monster that had haunted the bedtime stories of her childhood reduced to this.

Yet how could she take joy in this kind of suffering? How could she be happy about seeing a thinking, feeling being hurting like this? Whatever the demon inside this woman had done to her tribe, did it really justify this?

"I ... I know you." The words were a whisper, so soft that Jenny almost didn't hear them. She saw that Angela's eyes had opened and were looking at her. Grabbing a cup of blood she made her way over to the bed, hoping that the Vampire would drink it this time.

"Of course you know me." Jenny said, sitting down. "We've met several times now."

"No, I know ... know the real you." The barest shimmer of a smile played across Angela's lips. "Do you like what you see, Gypsy?"

Jenny recoiled from the bed, dropping the cup of blood.

"You ... you know?" She asked.

"One of your clan has been following me ever since that night in Romania." Angela said, closing her eyes again. "It was not hard to figure out that you were my current tail."

"Then why ... why didn't you ever say anything? To Buffy? To Giles?"

"I could have." She said, eyes still closed. "But to what avail? Giles loves you. Willow looks up to you as a role model. Why ruin all that for no reason whatsoever?"

Jenny didn't know what to say.

"I heard Darla almost exterminated your tribe after you cursed me." Angela continued. "There is but a handful of you left now and you spend all your lives making sure that my suffering continues."

Her eyes opened again, capturing Jenny's own.

"I hope you find it all worth it, Gypsy. I really hope you do."

Jenny opened her mouth to say something, not really sure what, but was saved from an answer by Buffy's noisy arrival. The blonde Slayer strolled into the apartment, immediately noticing the broken cup of blood on the floor.

"What happened?" She asked, worry clouding her face. "Is Angela all right?"

"Don't worry." The Vampire said softy, Buffy immediately hurrying to her side. "Just ... just being a difficult patient, I guess."

"I'll ... I'll get a new cup." Jenny said, wringing her hands. Buffy barely heard her, only looking at Angela.

On her short way to the kitchen Jenny realized a few things in her mind. Buffy might not be aware of it, but Angela loved the blonde girl. And the Slayer held very strong feelings in return, though she seemed confused about them for the most part.

It should have been repulsing, especially since Jenny knew who and what Angela really was. And yet ... the only thing she could think of right now were Angela's words from earlier.

"I hope you find it all worth it, Gypsy." The words echoed inside her head. "I really hope you do."

Jenny gave the cup of blood to Buffy and then fled from the dark apartment, feeling the need to do something, anything, that was not connected with revenge and darkness.

--

In the blackened ruins of a church Drusilla rose from the ashes, radiating with strength. Quickly digging an unconscious and injured Spike out of the rubble, she easily lifted his larger form into her arms and smiled down at him.

"Do not worry, my heart." She cooed. "Soon you will be well again. Just like me."

Thinking wicked thoughts about Spike, her beautiful daddy, and the bad Slayer Drusilla made her way out of the church.

"I have a surprise for you." She sang happily.

THE END

TO BE CONTINUED IN "SURPRISE TIMES TWO"


End file.
